The Vocab Study Process:
how to learn new words so you can remember them!
If you are struggling to memorize all your Spanish vocabulary, if you are just "not good at memorizing", or if you think you have studied but then your mind goes blank when you get to the test.... this page is for YOU!
Everyone learns differently, but there are a few things that seem to work for everyone when it comes to learning new vocabulary: 1) repetition 2) variety and 3) time. I have created a step-by-step process that SHOULD allow you to improve your memorization of Spanish vocab and make your study time more effective. Please give this process a try, and make sure not to SKIP any steps - if you try to skip ahead it may not be as helpful. Most importantly, do NOT wait until the night before a quiz to study - your brain needs time for the words to transfer from short-term to long-term memory, and you want to still remember these words for the final exam... don't you? :)
THE PROCESS:
1) Ladder drill: Using the physical paper flashcards you made for homework, go through your flashcards 5 at a time, practicing looking at the English and Spanish, until you feel comfortable saying the Spanish word when you are shown the English side. You can get a friend/parent to help you on this part, especially once you think you have most of your group learned. Only focus on 5 cards at a time though - too much at once will overload your memory! This step is the foundation and may take 2-3 separate study sessions (study in 20 minute intervals and take breaks as needed - this will actually HELP your brain process the new info! Make sure there are no other distractions around while you study.)
NOTE: For steps 2-5, you must have access to a computer and a Quizlet account. Quizlet is free and all you need to make an account is an email address. When you create your account, be sure to join my Mickens Spanish 1 class so you can easily find all our class vocab sets.
2) Using your phone or a computer, go to Quizlet.com and locate the current vocab set you want to study. Play the "Scatter" game to warm up (3-4 rounds should be enough).
3) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On Quizlet, do the "Speller" activity. This activity will say the words out loud and you must spell them correctly. This will help your pronunciation, listening comprehension and spelling, as well as strengthening your knowledge of the terms. Continue to do the "Speller" game until it tells you that ALL terms are "fully learned" - it will help you review the ones you have more trouble with.
4) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On Quizlet, do the "Learn" activity. Make sure it is set English-->Spanish, so you have to type out the Spanish word. It will take you through all the words and keep track of which ones you missed. Be sure to go back and re-do the ones you missed until you get them all right.
5) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On the main page of your Quizlet vocab set, you should see a star outline in the top right corner. Click this star to focus on just the "most missed" terms - the words you struggled with and missed most often on steps 3 and 4. Now that you have selected the star, go back and play "Scatter", do "Speller" and do "Learn" once more to practice just the terms you missed often.
6) MUST USE A COMPUTER: Now take "Test" on Quizlet for all your terms in the set (Make sure you have gone back and un-clicked the star on the main page so you can practice ALL the words, not just your most-missed.)
7) If you are unhappy with your test score, take a break, come back later or tomorrow, repeat steps 2-5 and then try again! You can do it!
8) THE DAY BEFORE THE QUIZ/TEST: Fan-fold study system: Copy your vocab list (Spanish only) on a sheet of paper, along the left side. Put your packet away. Now try to define all the terms in English. Answer as many as you can without looking or cheating. Now take the packet back out and check your answers, USING A RED PEN to fill in any you left blank or correcting the ones you got wrong. Put your packet back away. Fold the left side of your paper so it covers the first column (Spanish) so you can only see column 2 (English). Now try to write all the terms in Spanish beside the English. Again, do whatever you can without looking/cheating, and then open the paper back up to CHECK YOUR SPELLING with a red pen. Fold over to cover column 2. Now, do JUST the terms you had to write in red, defining them in English. Check your answers, fold to cover and go again. Continue in this way until you have NO RED because you can get them all right! :)
I welcome your feedback about my Study Process. Does it work for you? How many days/ study sessions does it take you to complete the process? Any other techniques you use that could be helpful for other students?
¡Gracias!
Everyone learns differently, but there are a few things that seem to work for everyone when it comes to learning new vocabulary: 1) repetition 2) variety and 3) time. I have created a step-by-step process that SHOULD allow you to improve your memorization of Spanish vocab and make your study time more effective. Please give this process a try, and make sure not to SKIP any steps - if you try to skip ahead it may not be as helpful. Most importantly, do NOT wait until the night before a quiz to study - your brain needs time for the words to transfer from short-term to long-term memory, and you want to still remember these words for the final exam... don't you? :)
THE PROCESS:
1) Ladder drill: Using the physical paper flashcards you made for homework, go through your flashcards 5 at a time, practicing looking at the English and Spanish, until you feel comfortable saying the Spanish word when you are shown the English side. You can get a friend/parent to help you on this part, especially once you think you have most of your group learned. Only focus on 5 cards at a time though - too much at once will overload your memory! This step is the foundation and may take 2-3 separate study sessions (study in 20 minute intervals and take breaks as needed - this will actually HELP your brain process the new info! Make sure there are no other distractions around while you study.)
NOTE: For steps 2-5, you must have access to a computer and a Quizlet account. Quizlet is free and all you need to make an account is an email address. When you create your account, be sure to join my Mickens Spanish 1 class so you can easily find all our class vocab sets.
2) Using your phone or a computer, go to Quizlet.com and locate the current vocab set you want to study. Play the "Scatter" game to warm up (3-4 rounds should be enough).
3) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On Quizlet, do the "Speller" activity. This activity will say the words out loud and you must spell them correctly. This will help your pronunciation, listening comprehension and spelling, as well as strengthening your knowledge of the terms. Continue to do the "Speller" game until it tells you that ALL terms are "fully learned" - it will help you review the ones you have more trouble with.
4) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On Quizlet, do the "Learn" activity. Make sure it is set English-->Spanish, so you have to type out the Spanish word. It will take you through all the words and keep track of which ones you missed. Be sure to go back and re-do the ones you missed until you get them all right.
5) MUST USE A COMPUTER: On the main page of your Quizlet vocab set, you should see a star outline in the top right corner. Click this star to focus on just the "most missed" terms - the words you struggled with and missed most often on steps 3 and 4. Now that you have selected the star, go back and play "Scatter", do "Speller" and do "Learn" once more to practice just the terms you missed often.
6) MUST USE A COMPUTER: Now take "Test" on Quizlet for all your terms in the set (Make sure you have gone back and un-clicked the star on the main page so you can practice ALL the words, not just your most-missed.)
7) If you are unhappy with your test score, take a break, come back later or tomorrow, repeat steps 2-5 and then try again! You can do it!
8) THE DAY BEFORE THE QUIZ/TEST: Fan-fold study system: Copy your vocab list (Spanish only) on a sheet of paper, along the left side. Put your packet away. Now try to define all the terms in English. Answer as many as you can without looking or cheating. Now take the packet back out and check your answers, USING A RED PEN to fill in any you left blank or correcting the ones you got wrong. Put your packet back away. Fold the left side of your paper so it covers the first column (Spanish) so you can only see column 2 (English). Now try to write all the terms in Spanish beside the English. Again, do whatever you can without looking/cheating, and then open the paper back up to CHECK YOUR SPELLING with a red pen. Fold over to cover column 2. Now, do JUST the terms you had to write in red, defining them in English. Check your answers, fold to cover and go again. Continue in this way until you have NO RED because you can get them all right! :)
I welcome your feedback about my Study Process. Does it work for you? How many days/ study sessions does it take you to complete the process? Any other techniques you use that could be helpful for other students?
¡Gracias!